The Irish standard., 1887-03-19

serves, and which, we can assure him
she would be very unwilling to solici
for her herself.
A clear, open forehead, beautiful,
rounded off beneath cluster of tina
dark (not black) and shining hair
which is so general as to be almos
characteristic among Munster maideps
and which parting easily in the centre
of the forehead, formed darkenine
semi-circle on the pure marble of the
slightly followed temples, and fell il
waving curls upon the shoulders
fashion which was then very popula,
among those younger members of the
gentle sex, whose years had not yet en-.
titled them to the womanly honors of q
tete--a masque of full. yet delicate and
tapering outline---and a chin sharp,
sweet, and small as those which the
great father of the English school OF
portrait painting seemed to look upon
as the cestus of female, or at least of in
fantine beauty-dimpling to every smile,
and scarcely inferior in expressive sweet
ness to the exquisitely curved and "wee
btu lips above ia check which COM
bined the messy tenderness of the rose
bud, with the delicately vigorous hue of
it's expanded petals-a nose Git is an
awkward feature to introduce into a
mere description but if ever there was
nose that looked well in prose or
poetry, that nose was Lilly Byrne's) a
nose then, we say fearlessly, which
would have safely braved even the
critical eye of that renowned italian
magnate whose perception was so acute
that he could observe a fault which in
reality did not exist, and an improve
ment where in reality none had taken
place, a fine we'll opened eye, over
which the long quivering lashes played
with an influence which at the same
time tempered and heightened the fiery
sweetness of the light-blue sparklers be-
meath them; teeth, convex, close set,
and pearly; neck and gorge which, as
the curiously fanciful writer of Arcadia
might have expressed it, formed the
most delightful isthmus that could be
wished or, between that lovely PENN
sula, her head, and the most fair CONT
nent, her person-and which presented
the most exquisite model that even he
could desire, of that exquisitely delicate
sharpness of outline which characterizes
the most lady-like Of Laurence's por-
traits; which is no less characteristic
of real elegance and gentle descent in
the sex of Lilly Byrne, than the curling
hair and aquiline nose is in the other,
and which, moreover, seems to depend
on such hair breadth nicely of touch,
that nothing less than absolute instinct
or accident in the painter can enable
him to accomplish it-round, yet narrow
shoulders, which were connected by a
fine conchoid with the slope of the neck.
and from which the arms fell into apo-I
sition of infinite ease and concord, con-
fined by the closely fitted sleeve of the
gown Gas was the fashion of the tlme) as
low as the elbow, where the silk was
cut out from the hollow eff the arm,
leaving a graceful lap over the softly
fexurc, and suffering the re-
mainder of the limb to continue re-
vealed in all it's tapering softness-its |
elegant diminutiveness of wrist, it's
daintiness of finger, and polished con-
vexity of nail (there is nothing like be-
ing particularly, to the admiration Of the
beholder, unless, perhaps, on certain
occasions when it's beauties were ttcov-
cred, but not hid," by the mist-like |
shadowing of a half-handed silk net
glove; a waist squeezed up into
cruelty delightful ittleness, such as
would have satisfied the charming Lady
Mary Montague herself--confned with
in peaked body, which was on state
occasions ornamented with stomacher
Of small brilliants, and for the most
part with the narrow ribbon work of the
stays. which were left exposed by the
opening of the gown in front, that
sloped upward and revealed just 80
much of the white neck as was consistent
With the feminine modesty of the period
and that was very little indeed 1--WE
don't mean the modesty, but the neck)-I
for
Yque pues Hidalgas son,
No solo no nos den pechos;
Pero nj pechos, nj espaldas;
was prohibition more in favor with
our fair Hiberrian ancestors than among
The heroines of Las Armas de La Her
or we will dare to say, the
young and beautiful Of our own day.
(To be continually
NOTICE.
1nA me, IN nSrNNCoOrA C,r,+~, ne uon,o,;,